We have been unusually social creatures of late. Hot on the heels of our meet up with US bloggers last week, last night Anjali and I went for a drink with our London-based Metrotwin Mumbai bloggers.

It was a great night for many reasons – much merriment was had, we came up with loads of ideas for Metrotwin’s lovely little sister site (check it out, if you haven’t before – as well as more ideas for cool things to do in London, you can read about a Mumbai you won’t find in the guidebooks) and I learnt lots of great Indian slang and impressed everyone by knowing the Hindi for ‘lemon’*.

Another reason it was such a cool night, was because of the venue we went to. I’m almost disinclined to mention it as it is such a well hidden little gem, but so long as you don’t tell the riff-raff… GO to Trisha’s Bar. It’s incredibly hard to find (it also masquerades as ‘Evaristo Club’), but this tiny little memorabilia strewn subterranean drinking den feels like a different world to the Soho streets that run above it. Oh, and during happy hour, glasses of wine and bottles of beer are £2! An utterly fantastic find.

Photo by Mel used under a Creative Commons License

*nimbu

If you have a moment (and preferably if you are a slightly bored American yearning, simply YEARNING to come to the UK) you should definitely check out the new Transatlanticism website from our friends at VisitBritian.

The site, which is full of  info on British trends and cool things to see and do in the UK, also has competitions to win flights to come and do them yourself AND (to top it all off ) has some more choice scribblings from yours truly on the Unlabelled Blog!

To further help you realise that visiting the UK should be number one on your list of 2010 priorities (that pesky kidney donation can wait and who wants to buy something as cumbersome as a house anyway?)  Transatlanticism has brought some prominent US bloggers over to visit our illustrious isle… and we’re meeting them tomorrow! We will naturally be blogging and tweeting throughout so will keep you posted, but in the meantime..

Who they? You ask.  Click through to find out!

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Last week we featured a great article on the Tim Burton retrospective at MoMA which Metrotwinner Teri Tynes originally featured on her own site WalkingOfftheBigApple. This week’s article comes from the excellent Bon Vivant blog, which is always a wealth of information on the finer things in life, from what events to be seen at, to a great weekly round up of restaurant reviews. Here, they suggest the essential items every bon vivant should own.

A Mulberry Briefcase

A briefcase is an essential part of today’s professional world and can speak volumes about its owner. The Mulberry Heathcliffe briefcase in black natural leather is stylish and durable and is the perfect size for a laptop as well.

Bespoke Shirts

A bespoke suit is the epitome of true style, but in current times, it can be seen as quite the extravagance. To achieve the same sharp look without breaking the bank, invest in some bespoke shirts from Turnbull & AsserGieves & Hawkes on Jermyn Street or on Savile Row.

A Bon Vivant Membership

To keep up with the latest must-haves, the newest bar and restaurant openings, the best travel deals and to indulge in exclusive treatment and complimentary benefits, all of which are crucial for the man about town, subscribe to a membership with a concierge service like Bon Vivant – we’re cheaper than you think!

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For a new feature, we aim to broaden your horizons by bringing you some of the great writing our blogger friends do on their own sites. Teri Tynes of WalkingOfftheBigApple recently visited the current Tim Burton retrospective at MoMA and we enjoyed reading it so much, we asked and she very kindly let us repost it here for you below. Check out her site for suggested walks around NYC, upcoming city events and overall tips about how to get the best out of the Big Apple. Oh, and she’s suggested LOADS of her favourite places here on Metrotwin, so check ‘em out too.

In the midst of the crowded galleries devoted to filmmaker and artist Tim Burton, surrounded by adults still stuffed inside their winter coats and besieged by their young children, I inadvertently became another object of curiosity. Not that I resemble any of Burton’s creatures. No, when the guards kept shouting “No pictures!” to those who thought they could sneak in a cellphone picture of a Batman cap or a drawing of a Ghost Dog or a statue of Johnny Depp as Edward Scissorhands, I simply pulled out a small notebook and started sketching. This act of a lady sketching the small models of Burton’s balloon-headed, big-eyed creatures seem to excite the youngest museum attendees, and one or two offered favorable remarks for my efforts. Their parents, on the other hand, seemed less engaged with my activity, perhaps thinking the medium a form of juvenilia or a province of weirdo artists. Kids totally get it.
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You know the drill by now… we get one of our great contributors in a virtual headlock, give them chinese burns via email and persuade them to answer a few questions. Oh, and then get faintly embarrased when it turns out they are all far too cool to watch Gossip Girl or even own a TV! Check out our previous interviews with fellow tv-shunning Metrotwin hepcats Zach from DandyandWit and our own Noo Yoik editor Harper!

Name: Craig Nelson

Profession: Editor at Not For Tourists

Neighbourhood: Spanish Harlem

Favourite city smell: Freshly cut grass at the Sheep Meadow in Central Park.

Tell us a London/NYC pop fact: NYC Subway system is largest in the world.

Favourite bagel filling: Scallion Cream Cheese

Opinion of pigeons: Dirty but gotta respect their toughness.

Currently reading: Psychogeography by Will Self

Skins or Gossip Girl?: No TV in my apartment!

Law and Order or The Bill? Although I will watch The Daily Show online.

Items that are always in your grocery basket:Ice cream and seltzer water.

Favourite building/monument/statue/tree/shrub: Staring at The Chrysler Building never gets old.

Chat us some slang: Yo!

Favourite cuisine and where you satiate your lust: Pizza (with Jazz!) at Arturo’s.

Local drinking hole: WCOU Bar aka Tile Bar.